Meet Sunshine and Bernie: Therapy Dogs Help Campers Unwind, Improve Self-Esteem
Two organizations are helping students relax this summer after a long school year by bringing therapy dogs to their summer camp. Sunshine and Bernie are two pups from the nonprofit organization A Fair Shake For Youth, which helps kids build Read More …
Bronx Summer Camp Pairs Kids With Therapy Dogs, Teaches Social Skills
BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) — A Bronx summer camp is helping kids learn emotional intelligence thanks to some special therapists — therapy dogs. “If you are nervous about the day, how it’s been. If it is like a test, and it’s Read More …
Bronx Series Highlights Congolese Influences in Caribbean Music and Dance
The Bronx Music Heritage Center (BMHC) will present a series of music performances, a film screening and moderated conversations exploring the many Congolese influences in Caribbean music and dance this summer. The programming will be presented across three events in Read More …
Bronx Nonprofit Working to Address Youth Mental Health Crisis
A nonprofit in the Bronx is working to address the youth mental health crisis through a new after-school program. The program, called I Have a Purpose, was made by WHEDco to help students find a way to cope with stressors Read More …
Is the Bronx OK? It Had the Highest Rate of Psychiatric Hospitalizations Across NYC Even Before COVID-19
By: Robbie Sequeira Long before the pandemic, the Bronx had its share of mental health challenges and lacked sufficient resources to address those hurdles. Prior to COVID-19— which health experts told the Bronx Times ushered in long overdue conversations about Read More …
WHEDco and The New Marijuana Landscape for Kids and Teens
With legalization of marijuana, easier access and more open usage among adults, the cannabis landscape has also shifted dramatically for children and teens. Davon Russell, President of the Bronx-based Community Development Organization WHEDco, talks marijuana perception and access for young people, Read More …
How One South Bronx Organization Moved From Affordable Housing to Job Creation
By Sasha Jones – Reporter, New York Business Journal Economic development is created through much intersectionality, with public and private organizations partnering to support businesses. The Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corp. (WHEDco) in New York City is one such Read More …
Mayor Adams, Union Leaders Rally For Working People’s Agenda, Including Expanded Earned Income Tax Credit And Child Tax Credit
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today was joined by labor leaders, other elected officials, and working New Yorkers to rally state lawmakers to double down on their support for the Child Tax Credit and a further Read More …
More Cannabis Means More Kids Using Cannabis
The excitement surrounding New York’s new cannabis industry is at a fever pitch. The first licensed dispensaries are finally opening. For the first time ever, adults aged 21 and older can legally purchase cannabis in New York for recreational use. Read More …
Mission BX: WHEDco: Building a Greater Bronx
WHEDco is an organization that features affordable housing, including Bronx Commons, and arts and culture programming through the Bronx Music Heritage Center.
News 12 Takes a Look at New After-School Class Focused on Educating Kids About Cannabis
A new after-school program aims to educate kids about cannabis and its impacts, and those behind the program say it’s needed now that the legal marijuana market is up and running in New York City. At P.S./I.S. 218 Rafael Hernandez Read More …
City Watch With Davon Russell
On the January 29, 2023 episode of City Watch on WBAI 99.5 FM, Host Jeff Simmons focused on how the legalization of recreational use of marijuana has impacted youth with Chalkbeat New York Reporter Michael Elsen-Rooney and WHEDco President Davon Read More …
Educating Kids About the Dangers of Drugs
FOX 5 covers WHEDco’s JAM marijuana lesson, which teaches kids about the harm marijuana causes to developing brains, and helps kids make informed decisions.
Bronx Students Practice Mindfulness
By Mrinalini Nayak and Yi Liu / January 2, 2023 Adriel Cruz, 12, sat in a busy classroom one afternoon with a metal bowl in his hand, eyes closed, listening intently to the striking of the bowl and aligning his Read More …
New Childcare Assistance Available for Eligible Families
If you need assistance paying for child care, you may be eligible to apply today. Contact NYC ACS or your local county Department of Social Services for more info. Si necesita ayuda para pagar su cuidado de sus niños, podrá Read More …
President Davon Russell Named Crain’s Notable Black Leader
WHEDco is proud to announce recognition of our President, Davon Russell, as a notable Black leader and executive in New York. In celebration of Black History Month, Crain’s New York Business selected Davon as one of 105 Notable Black Leaders Read More …
WHEDco Receives $2.5 Million Grant from Mellon Foundation
WHEDco has received a $2.5 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to complete construction of the Bronx Music Hall. The 14,000 sq. ft. music hall will be the first newly constructed music performance venue to open in the Read More …
WHEDco Letter Regarding Bronx Building Fire
Dear WHEDco Family, We are grieving the heartbreaking loss of at least 19 community members, and many more who were injured in the fire at 333 East 181st Street on Sunday. The anguish of this tragedy touches all of us. Read More …
WHEDco Year in Review
As another year of meaningful work comes to an end, we are proud to reflect on all that we have accomplished – together – throughout 2021. Watch our Year-End Video to learn more about the ways in which WHEDco has Read More …
President Davon Russell Makes Bronx PowerList
WHEDco is proud to announce recognition of our President, Davon Russell, as one of the most influential and impactful people in The Bronx. Davon was selected as part of Schneps Media’s inaugural Bronx PowerList and was honored for his commitment Read More …
Bronx Commons Fitness Center Opens For Residents
On December 1st, WHEDco hosted an Open House for our brand new Fitness Center at Bronx Commons, our recently completed mixed-use affordable housing development in the Bronx. Residents of the building got their first view of the Fitness Center through Read More …
The Safe Spaces Project: Now Online
WHEDco is proud to present a new website to showcase our Safe Spaces project, a research initiative in partnership with NYU from our flagship After School Program at PS/IS 218. Over the course of a six-week period, Mario Ynfante, WHEDco Read More …
Child Care Stabilization Grant
The Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) is thrilled to announce that the Child Care Stabilization Grant application is now open! This funding opportunity is available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Read More …
Mayor Bill de Blasio Visits Bronx Commons
WHEDco was honored to host Mayor Bill de Blasio, Deputy Mayor Vicki Been, NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Louise Carroll, and Council Member Rafael Salamanca at our Bronx Commons development yesterday for the City’s announcement that Read More …
Community Champions: Nike Spotlights WHEDco’s Impact on Young People in the Bronx
Nike, a new funding partner to WHEDco through their 2020 Black Communities Commitment, featured WHEDco’s President, Davon Russell, and two of our Youth Programs alumni, Kevin Contreras and Natalia Baez, in their Community Champions video series. The videos and accompanying Read More …
An Award for All of Us
A Note from Davon Russell, WHEDco’s President I am humbled and honored to share that I have been selected as a recipient of the inaugural 2020 Empire Whole Health Heroes Awards, granted by Empire BlueCross BlueShield and Crain’s New York Read More …
WHEDco’s COVID-19 Survey
In order to better understand how COVID-19 has impacted the communities WHEDco works with, WHEDco’s Research, Policy and Evaluation Department, in collaboration with WHEDco’s program areas, designed and administered a survey to WHEDco clients, participants, families, tenants, childcare providers, and Read More …
WHEDco’s Statement on the Death of George Floyd
We are angered, saddened and disheartened by all the blatant acts of violence, hate and racism perpetrated against Black people and other people of color by police and individuals in New York City and across the country. The recent death Read More …
COVID-19 Response
June 4, 2020 Help Save Our Summer Camp WHEDco has operated our Summer Arts Day Camp every summer since 1998, providing thousands of Bronx children with academic and arts enrichment and access to cultural institutions across NYC. For the first Read More …
Building a Greater Bronx with Citi Community Progress Makers
A new public art installation that addresses the community’s need for safer, more vibrant, and more welcoming public spaces; increased outreach and small business support to local merchants at risk of displacement in the South Bronx; continued professional development opportunities Read More …
Back-to-School Giveaway
WHEDco partnered with Garden of Dreams Foundation to Donate School Supplies to South Bronx Families Standing under the blazing sun, hundreds of people formed lines that looped around the street, into the parking area, and into the yard at the Read More …
Bronx Music at Melrose 2019 Recap
On Saturday, July 27, 2019, WHEDco and its Bronx Music Heritage Center celebrated Bronx Music at Melrose, a FREE, full-day event featuring live performances by Bronx musicians, arts & crafts, games for the whole family, free food & refreshments, and Read More …
Boogie Down Booth Celebrates Bronx Music, Enhances Public Space
WHEDco unveils public installation bringing music, solar-powered lights, seating, and community art to underutilized South Bronx space On Friday, June 14, 2019, WHEDco unveiled a colorful new public installation bringing Bronx music, solar-powered lights, seating, and community art to an Read More …
2018 Community Needs Assessments
Crotona Park East/Morrisania and Wakefield/Edenwald Neighborhoods WHEDco recently conducted community studies in two Bronx neighborhoods: Crotona Park East, home to our Intervale Green affordable housing development, and Wakefield/Edenwald, a northern Bronx neighborhood. These Community Needs Assessments help us develop a Read More …
Southern Boulevard Community Clean-Up
On Saturday, May 11, 2019, WHEDco and Crotona Park East community members gathered to clean up Southern Boulevard, from Westchester Ave to E 175th Street, collecting a total of 15 large trash bags. The Southern Boulevard Clean-Up was organized in Read More …
Congrats to our Inspire Scholarship Recipients!
Four Teen Program Participants Awarded Renewable Scholarships to the College of their Choice We know our students are superstars but, this year, a talented, hardworking group of teenagers really took the cake! High school seniors Monserrat Ambrosio, Melkyn Acosta, Natalia Read More …
Celebrating National Social Work Month
Reflections from our Family Support Team March is National Social Work Month, which provides us an opportunity to reflect on the important contributions of our dedicated team of case managers, school social workers, family support workers, and counselors. We asked Read More …
Small Business Resource Fair 2019
With support from the NYC Department of Small Business Services, WHEDco held a Bronx Small Business Resource Fair on February 26, 2019 to create a one-stop-shop for Bronx Small Businesses to learn about various opportunities to help their businesses succeed. Read More …
When Legalizing Marijuana, Our Youth Should Come First
Opinion Piece by Davon Russell, President of WHEDco New York State is on the verge of legalizing marijuana for recreational use, a move that has been applauded by many. Reasons for supporting the bill abound, including hundreds of millions of Read More …
WHEDco Super Star: Natalia Baez
Natalia Baez is no stranger to adversity. Born to immigrant parents who hailed from the Dominican Republic, she was raised in the Bronx by her single mother. Her father had passed away when she was only nine years old, leaving Read More …
Bronx Commons Topping Out Ceremony
WHEDco and BFC Partners Celebrated Topping Out of Construction on New Affordable Housing and Cultural Center at Bronx Commons On Friday, January 11, 2019, WHEDco and BFC Partners celebrated the topping out of construction of Bronx Commons, a mixed-used development Read More …
Bronx Families in Focus
Nueva Bronx: 21st Century Families It was all about Bronx families on September 29, 2018, when community members gathered at Railroad Park in Melrose to celebrate the culmination of an arts residency project with photographer David Flores that aimed to Read More …
Home-Based Childcare Services
Empowering Women while Improving Quality of Childcare Bernadette Lamboy found her real calling as a childcare provider thanks to WHEDco. Fourteen years ago, her position at the FDNY was eliminated, and she found herself without a job and without childcare Read More …
What’s Next for our Teens?
High School and College! The school year may be over but, for many of our teen students, a new journey is just about to begin. Gianney Ledesma has been a student at PS/MS 218 in the Bronx since her elementary Read More …
Bronx Music at Melrose
On Friday, July 13, 2018 WHEDco held its annual Bronx Music @ Melrose on East 161st Street between Melrose & Elton Aves. This FREE outdoor street festival provided fun for the whole family, while connecting community members with local resources Read More …
WHEDco boosts small businesses along Southern Boulevard in the Bronx as part of Commercial Corridor Challenge
WHEDco, LISC NYC, Citi Community Development and the NYC SBS team up to carry out targeted improvements to increase economic vitality in Crotona East/Morrisania in the Bronx Many urban neighborhoods that have experienced under-investment for generations are finally seeing signs Read More …
WHEDco to Receive $10,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
Funding will partially support WHEDco’s Bronx Music Heritage Center Special Concert Series National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $80 million in grants as part of the NEA’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year Read More …
WHEDco Selected by Citi Foundation as one of its 2018 Community Progress Makers
$500,000 Investment in core operating support will enable WHEDco to increase opportunities for Bronx residents to participate in economic changes and new investment coming to the borough The Citi Foundation announced that WHEDco was selected as the recipient of a Read More …
March is National Nutrition Month!
Spotlight on WHEDco’s Early Education and Afterschool Healthy Eating Initiatives Healthy eating habits instilled at an early age encourage both parents and children to make sound eating choices. WHEDco’s early childhood education and afterschool programs ensure that students are not Read More …
Sustainability in Action
CoGen Open House at Urban Horizons After nearly 5 years in operation, WHEDco is reaping the energy-saving benefits of the Cogeneration System at its Urban Horizons affordable housing development in the South Bronx. The combined heat and power system, also Read More …
Busy Season at WHEDco’s Rooftop Urban Farm
130 pounds of produce and 15 educational activities… Building residents reap the benefits! That’s a wrap! The 2017 farm season may be over, but residents of WHEDco’s Intervale Green affordable housing development in the South Bronx can continue to apply Read More …
Matching Gift Challenge
Please support WHEDco’s mission to create healthy, thriving communities and critical opportunities for Bronx families. Thanks to a generous donor, all gifts raised between now and December 31st, 2017 will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000! Giving is easy! Read More …
Announcing Changes to Bronx CookSpace!
New year, new services! Bronx CookSpace, WHEDco’s commercial kitchen incubator, has announced that, beginning in 2018, it will expand its services to streamline the kitchen experience for its tenants as part of a new program model. Bronx CookSpace is also Read More …
Ready for the Next Big Step
WHEDco’s 15th Annual High School Fair Connects Hundreds of Students with Top High Schools Ella Calzada walks up to the Cardinal Spellman High School table at WHEDco’s 15th Annual High School Fair. She already knows that she’s interested in this Read More …
Nancy Biberman Steps Aside as President of WHEDco; Davon Russell Named as Successor
Biberman to Serve as Senior Advisor for Housing Development & President Emerita The Board of the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco) has announced that Nancy Biberman is stepping aside as the organization’s president, a position she has held Read More …
Kindergarten, Here We Come!
WHEDco’s Early Childhood Discovery Center Celebrates its “Moving Up” Ceremony Early childhood is full of milestones. From baby steps to first words to the terrible two’s, those early years are critical to a child’s development. And for parents and caregivers, Read More …
Ready for High School? Yes!
70% of 8th grade students in Project STEP have been accepted into high-performing high schools Eighth grade students in WHEDco’s middle-to-high-school transition program, known as Project STEP, are ready to take on high school! Project STEP (Students Toward Educational Promise) is Read More …
Beating the Odds
100% of seniors in our Teen Program are off the college! Four years ago, as a scared high school freshman sitting through an introductory session to the Teen Program at WHEDco’s Leadership Center, Mario Ynfante never dreamed he’d be heading Read More …
JAM Empowers Middle and High School Students through Sex-Ed
Sixth grade students at PS/MS 218 scramble to get into groups of seven before beginning an exercise about sexual health. The exercise requires the middle-schoolers to navigate sex-ed terms like “puberty,” “hormones,” and “menstruation,” and match them with their correct Read More …
Bronx Music @ Melrose 2017 Recap!
WHEDco shuts down 161st Street for a full afternoon of family fun! Children’s laughter. A bouncy-house at full capacity. Police officers and local kids playing a competitive game of street soccer. This was the scene at the Melrose neighborhood in Read More …
Crossing State Lines to Make us Proud
WHEDco Chess Team shows off at SuperNationals! At 3:30am on Thursday, May 11, seven sleepy students from our After School Enrichment Program at PS/MS 218 met up at their school with Program Director Jamie Yellen and Chess Coach Zak Dean. Read More …
Bronx Commons is awarded the 2017 Creating a Dynamic City Award
During The Richman Group and RichMAC’s first annual awards ceremony! WHEDco and BFC Partners have been awarded the 2017 Creating a Dynamic City Award for their work on Bronx Commons, a 426,000 square foot, $165M mixed-used development in Melrose Commons Read More …
Business Attraction in Action
Melrose Retail Space Tour Recap! “I didn’t know WHEDco could do all of this!” was a phrase overheard during WHEDco’s recent Retail Space Tour across the Melrose neighborhood in the South Bronx. More than 30 attendees –who included prospective restaurateurs, Read More …
Bridging Home & School
WHEDco’s Family Literacy Program Hafsatu Jalloh stood in front of a crowd gathered at WHEDco’s Urban Horizons Early Childhood Discovery Center, home to its Head Start program. She and a group of fellow adult English learners were there to share Read More …
Jerome Avenue CDNA
With support from the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) in 2016, WHEDco assessed the needs of the area around the Jerome Avenue commercial corridor from McClellan Avenue up to the Cross Bronx Expressway. This corridor serves as a Read More …
Rent Burden in the South Bronx
Far too many people -particularly New Yorkers- struggle to make ends meet every month, especially when it comes to their rent. This brief uses data from the DATA2GO.NYC site to examine rent burden in the three Bronx community districts where Read More …
Melrose Oral Histories
The history of a neighborhood is made up of countless personal stories —triumphs, tribulations, families, friendships— in which the neighborhood serves as a setting and plays an important role. WHEDco, in collaboration with New York University (NYU), is looking to Read More …
Bronx Commons Breaks Ground in Melrose
On Friday, January 13, 2017, WHEDco broke ground on its third and most ambitious affordable housing development yet: Bronx Commons! The development will be constructed in the Melrose neighborhood of the South Bronx, in partnership with BFC Partners, and will Read More …
Melrose Community Needs & Actions Report
WHEDco’s third affordable housing development in the Bronx, Bronx Commons, will be located in the Melrose neighborhood. To better understand and help meet the needs of the Melrose community, we conducted a community needs assessment focused on a one-mile radius Read More …
WHEDco Illuminates Christmas Tree In Melrose
On Wednesday, December 21, 2016, WHEDco’s community development department partnered with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to light a Christmas tree at Railroad Park in the Bronx. The installment of decorations caught the attention of passersby Read More …
Entrepreneurs Tour the Bronx to Grow their Small Businesses
On Thursday, November 10, 2016, small business owners boarded a trolley and embarked on the Southern Boulevard Retail Space Tour to take their small businesses to the next level. The tour was organized by WHEDco, in partnership with the Southern Read More …
Boogie Down Beer Fest Helps Build A Greater Bronx, One Craft Beer At A Time
On Saturday, October 22, 2016, Boogie Down Beer Fest returned to Bronx Beer Hall for the second consecutive year. Organized by WHEDco and its Junior Board, the event aims to raise money and awareness about WHEDco’s mission to create healthier, Read More …
WHEDco President Receives National Award for Transformative Work in the South Bronx
Biberman is First in New York to Receive Peter B. Goldberg Aramark Building Community Executive Leadership Award and Grant Honor Recognizes Biberman’s Dedication to Building Affordable Housing and Vibrant Communities in the Bronx New York, NY – Nancy Biberman, president Read More …
Urban Horizons hosts Open House New York
On Saturday, October 15, WHEDco hosted tours at Urban Horizons, its affordable housing development on 50 East 168th Street, formerly Morrisania Hospital, as part of Open House New York (OHNY) weekend. Designed by architect Charles Meyers, Morrisania Hospital opened its Read More …
Bronx Summer Fest – Total Success!
On Saturday, September 17 and Saturday, September 24, WHEDco and The Children’s Aid Society in New York partnered with the NYC Department of Transportation’s Weekend Walks program to present Bronx Summer Fest 2016 in Crotona Park East. It was a Read More …
WHEDco Benefit & Ballgame
Thanks to the generosity of our friends and supporters, WHEDco raised over $200,000 to help us continue to build healthy, thriving communities for families in the South Bronx. The Benefit and Ballgame also gave us the opportunity to honor three Read More …
Garden of Dreams BBQ at WHEDco’s Summer Arts Day Camp
On Thursday, August 18, the Garden of Dreams Foundation, New York Liberty, and WHEDco partnered to host a summer’s end BBQ and Potluck for students and parents from WHEDco’s Summer Arts Day Camp in the Bronx. The event included music, Read More …